Circle Unified Management System
Sprint 1 Retrospective
Purpose
Comprehensive review of Sprint 1 progress, findings, and strategic decisions needed for the unified management system development.
Sprint 1 Overview
System Connectivity: Completed
Successfully Connected Systems
- VPN Access
- Sherpa CRM (with Chuck's credentials)
- Autotask
- Teams & OneDrive
System Connectivity: Outstanding Issues
⚠️ Critical Blocker: e-automate
- Application installed
- Login profile created
- No licenses available
Additional Pending Connections
- RDP to easerver
- Supplier API connections
- Jumpbox setup
Stakeholder Interviews: 13 Completed
- Seneca
- John D.
- Esther
- Han
- Cory
- Alex
- Wendy
- Lisa
- Jeff
- Eduardo
- Jonathan
- Chuck
- Mo
Critical Finding: Manual Process Dependency
Current State: Heavily Manual
- Excel spreadsheets for tracking
- OneNote for documentation
- Email for coordination
- Notepad for quick notes
Impact
- No automated alerts or notifications
- Manual verification checks throughout
- No enforcement mechanisms
Cultural Finding: Departmental Siloing
Communication Gaps
- Print vs IT: Limited cross-communication
- Sales vs Operations: Information gaps in handoffs
- Result: Missed opportunities, inefficiencies
Positive Trend
IT side showing strong customer satisfaction focus. Need to expand to print operations.
Cultural Finding: "Quick vs Right" Mentality
Current Challenge
Example: Serial number handling issues causing lease return problems
Solution Strategy
- Make "the right thing" the intuitive choice
- Pave the path for correct processes
- Make correct actions the "least hard" option
Technical Findings
System Integration Status
- Sherpa CRM - Connected
- e-automate - Licensing barriers
- Autotask - Connected
- Supplier APIs - Mixed capabilities
Additional Technical Needs
- Replace Printanista system
- Integrate meter reading capabilities
- Security monitoring integration
Strategic Decisions Required
Product Customization Strategy
How much customization for other print+MSP shops?
- Opinionated: "Train to our system"
- Middle Ground: "Limited customization"
- Flexible: "Match your processes"
Stakeholder Committee Structure
Preliminary structure - to be finalized next sprint
Sales: Bill, John D., Seneca
Operations: Chuck, Jeff, Lisa, Mo, Eduardo
Admin: Alex, Wendy, Esther, Seneca, Jonathan
Technical: Alex, Steve, Mo(?)
Each committee needs ONE unique owner
Membership may shift as we expand into delivery/warehouse
Strategic Decisions (Cont.)
Process Ownership Granularity
How detailed should process ownership be?
- Committee-Level: High-level oversight only
- Process-Level: Individual owners per major process
- Sub-Process Level: Granular ownership of workflow steps
Recommended Approach
Hybrid model: Committee oversight with individual process owners for accountability and detailed workflow ownership for critical handoffs.
Sprint 2 Plan (3 weeks)
Week 1: Clear the Path
- Address e-automate licensing
- Secure easerver access
- Complete remaining interviews
Weeks 2-3: Build Foundation
- Finish system architecture & ERD design
- Set up development environment
- Begin container/hosting setup
Sprint 2 Detailed Backlog
System Integration
- Set up programmatic connections (Sherpa ODBC, e-automate, Autotask API)
- Complete supplier API mapping
- Review mobile applications and websites
Project Infrastructure
- Create GitLab milestones & issues
- Set up project wiki with documentation
- Finalize process diagrams
Success Factors Moving Forward
Design Principles
- Make "right" choices intuitive and easy
- Build automation to replace manual processes
- Create integrated workflows to break siloing
Cultural Goals
- Expand customer satisfaction focus to all departments